Apple files patent for text-speech/speech-text features on the iPhone

According to another Apple patent recently discovered, the Cupertino company seems to have filed for a system that can convert speech to text or text to speech for the iPhone. Uses for this system would allow conversations to go on when it’s too noisy or when silence is required. For example, in a noisy setting, the speech to text function will be used and will convert incoming speech into text that can be read by the user, eliminating the need for either party to yell “What?! Can you speak a little louder?” into the receiver.

For text to speech, if a person is in a meeting or a lecture and can’t excuse him/herself to use the phone, he or she could type a text which would then be converted into speech for the other end to listen to. The system also allows speech to text to occur on both ends at the same time, which can lead to iPhone users being able to save chat logs that are easily archived and searchable (like speech to text voicemail). What other uses can you think of for text to speech and vice versa?